LabRat
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 78
posted
LOUISIANA....
JUST SOME FACTS TO HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT WE HAVE TO WORK WITH HERE...
In the late 1990's, the state's school systems ranked dead last in the nation in the number of computers per student (1 per 88), and Louisiana has the nation's second-highest percentage of adults who never finished high school.
By the state's own measure, 47% of the public schools in New Orleans rank as "academically unacceptable."
These government failures are not merely a matter of incompetence.
Louisiana and New Orleans have a long, well-known reputation for corruption: as former Congressman Billy Tauzin once put it,
"Half of Louisiana is under water and the other half is under indictment."
That's putting it mildly.
Adjusted for population size, the state ranks third in the number of elected officials convicted of crimes (Mississippi is #1).
Recent scandals include the conviction of 14 state judges and an FBI raid on the business and personal files of a Louisiana congressman.
In 1991, a notoriously corrupt Democrat named Edwin Edwards ran for governor against Republican David Duke, a former head of the Ku Klux Klan.
Edwards, whose winning campaign included bumper stickers saying: "Elect the Crook," is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for taking bribes from casino owners.
Duke recently completed his own prison term for tax fraud.
The rot included the New Orleans Police Department, which in the 1990's had the dubious distinction of being the nation's most corrupt police force - and the least effective. (The city had the highest murder rate in America.)
More than 50 officers were eventually convicted of crimes including murder, rape and robbery; two are currently on Death Row.
And let us not forget, Mayor Nagin of New Orleans turned down a Texas scrap metal firm's offer to the city of $100 each for the privilege of hauling away the abandoned automobiles now littering the city. This would have paid money to the city.
Mayor Nagin is now considering giving a contract to another firm for$23,000,000 to get rid of the vehicles. This plan will cost the city.
Ten billion dollars are about to pass into the sticky hands of politicians in the #1 and #3 most corrupt states in America. Worried about looting? Well, you ain't seen nothing yet!
New Orleans has a Democrat Mayor, a Democrat City Council and a Democrat Chief of Police.
Louisiana has a Democrat Governor, a Democrat Lt. Governor, a Democrat Attor ney General.
24 of 39 Louisiana State Senators are Democrats, 67 of 105 LouisianaState House Representatives are Democrats, there's a Democrat Representative in the House from New Orleans, and one of two U. S. Senators is a Democrat.
THIS PRETTY MUCH EXPLAINS WHY IT'S ALL GEORGE BUSH'S FAULT
Posts: 1887 | From Corpus Christi, Texas | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
Looks to me like political corruption is bipartisan.
Your write up says MS #1 in indicted public officials. This is a republican state. Present gov is Haley Barbour, formerly prominent in national republican party.
Also, maybe you have noticed all the heads of corporations in the dock in the last couple of years. Those people are republicans, like Ken Lay, etc. Senator Frist (R, TN) has a family business, a huge health care conglomerate which has paid two of the biggest ever fines for medicare fraud. Not chastened by being punished once for fraud, they went back for more. Guess they thought they could get away with it, having a protector in Congress. Meanwhile the newspapers "forgot" to mention that the senator had any connection to this company when they reported the fines.
And Cheney's buddies who are getting all the no bid contracts in LA and Iraq, etc are on the front pages a lot for malfeasance.
And didn't George II actually admit that maybe Brownie didn't do such a hot job after all, (and well shouldn't it have been obvious that he wasn't qualified for the FEMA job anyway.)
Granted that the major of New Orleans is a dope. But I don't think it has anything to do with his party affiliation. If he were in office in MS, he would be a republican dope instead. A congenital dope in other words.
We would rather hear about your fish farming. Politics too depressing.
Posts: 8430 | From Not available | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
Here is a description of Barbour's response to Katrina. Maybe you will be pleased to see that the military guy got a higher approval rating than any of the pols.
"Hurricane Katrina response
See also: Criticism of government response to Hurricane Katrina
On Monday August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into Mississippi's coast, killing over 200, [6] devastating the state's $2.7 billion-a-year casino industry and leaving tens of thousands of its residents temporarily homeless. [7] (see Effect of Hurricane Katrina on Mississippi). Barbour's response was characterized by a concerted effort at evacuation, tough-minded talk on looters and an unwillingness to blame the federal government. [8] His actions earned him praise, even among former critics; [9] his response was compared, favorably, to that of Rudy Giuliani in the wake of the September 11 attacks. [10] [11]
However, Barbour was also criticized in the media for not treating the hurricane seriously enough before it made landfall. MSNBC commentator Joe Scarborough wrote, "Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour continues to claim that Katrina caught him by surprise, telling one reporter that it was after all a cat[egory] one storm after crossing Florida." [12] Several critics of his handling point out that the Gulf Coast was put on alert as early as the Friday beforehand. Barbour's Washington ties and closeness to the Bush Administration may have given his state an advantage over Louisiana in obtaining billions in federal aid for disaster relief and reconstruction.
The evacuation order was issued by local officials more than 24 hours before the hurricane hit, and Mississippi activated 750 National Guard troops as of August 29, the day of the hurricane. [13][14][15]
According to a September 8 SurveyUSA poll, on the rating scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is interpreted as "the best anybody in this position can do", Governor Barbour rated a 6.1, in comparison to 5.7 for New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, 5.1 for Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco, and 4.7 for president George W. Bush. The highest score, 6.8, went to U.S. Army General Russell Honore. [16]
According to a September 20 SurveyUSA poll, Governor Barbour's approval jumped 15%, from 43% to 58%. However, since then his approval rating has since fallen to just 48%, with 46% disapproving. [17]
During his appearance the Charlie Rose show on June 8, 2006, he called the Jack Abramoff scandal "disgusting", asserting that normal conduct for lobbyists in the late 1980s and early 1990s was very different."
Posts: 8430 | From Not available | Registered: Oct 2000
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And where would we be without unquestioning military obedience to the commander in chief? Of course, in non battlefield situations, it might be inappropriate.
And are you happy with the current state of events in Iraq?
Posts: 8430 | From Not available | Registered: Oct 2000
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LabRat
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 78
posted
You were doing well on your on, (and seemed to be picking up steam), what do you need me for?
Posts: 1887 | From Corpus Christi, Texas | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
Bowing out of off topic again. Picking up steam is just what I don't want to do. I am all for the quiet life myself.
Posts: 8430 | From Not available | Registered: Oct 2000
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LabRat
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 78
posted
Now we're getting somewhere! Let us agree that there are people we don't know, doing things we don't know about and if we did, we wouldn't like it but would be powerless to stop them. I think we would agree that we don't want to see anybody sick, hungry, living in poverty or being killed or worse yet, dieing for a freaking superstition, anywhere in the world.
Most everything else is window dressing anyway.
Should have my fish early next week. I've got all my pumps working now, I don't want to be a serial fish killer!
Posts: 1887 | From Corpus Christi, Texas | Registered: Oct 2000
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